We hope this email finds you well and looking forward to some holiday time with family and friends!!!
First off, thank you for a wonderful 2016 Tour! We also want to thank those of you who took the time to complete the Tour Player and Equipment surveys. The results of these surveys help us to improve the Tour and communicate with current and future Tour sponsors. As the subject line of this email indicates, we hope you are able to rejoin us ON TOUR for the 2017 season - The GTA AM Tour's 14th year!
REGISTER EARLY AND SAVE!
1) EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION -
$99 (Prior to February 26, 2017 - End of Toronto Golf and Travel Show)
2) Spring/Summer Registration - $125 (After February 26, 2017)
Registration fees will be in place until such time as there is a waiting list for any of 2017 events.
If you would like to register for the 2017 Tour, at a reduced registration fee of $99 (plus HST), please visit
The Tour's website, log in and hit the Register for the 2017 Tour button (If you have forgotten your password please use the "Forgot Password" feature on the Home Page). You will then be prompted to sign up for the 2017 Tour. Once you have registered, you will be able to book your events for the 2017 Tour. PLEASE NOTE THAT SPACES MAY BE LIMITED!
2017 GTA AM TOUR SCHEDULE
As you can see, we have been VERY busy booking clubs! The 2017 Tour schedule is almost complete and we are very fortunate to have 88% of the 2017 Tour schedule take place at the following Private Clubs: Coppinwood, Lookout Point, Cherry Hill, Scarboro,
Devil's Paintbrush
,
Georgian Bay,
Barrie,
National Pines
,
Wildfire
,
Brantford,
Brampton
,
Grandview, Ladies', Beverly,
Whitevale
,
Wyndance
,
Cedar Brae
,
Oshawa
,
Devil's
Pulpit,
Mad River and
Bigwin Island
. To this VERY strong roster of private golf courses, we have added public club
Lora Bay
. In the not-too-distant future, we will be adding another two events. One will be the week of May 15th and the other the week of September 11th.
2017 AIR CANADA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2017 Air Canada Tour Championship will be held at Grand Niagara Golf Club on Sunday October 1st and Monday October 2nd. This two day (18 holes per day) event is open to all who wish to compete. In order to be eligible for Myrtle Beach Order of Merit Points in this event, players have to play at least five 2017 GTA AM Tour tournaments. The event fee includes daily use of a golf cart and an AMAZING banquet dinner on the Sunday evening. For those of you who have not yet had an opportunity to play this course, we strongly suggest you add this to your MUST play list!
2017 MAJOR EVENTS
The Tour will hold FOUR Majors during the summer of 2017! In May, we be at Lora Bay and Georgian Bay for the Collingwood Major.
In June, we will return to the popular National Pines venue for a two-day 36-hole event.
In July, the Muskoka Major will take place at Grandview Golf Club in Huntsville. The last Major of the season will likely be a 36 hole tournament, in one day, and will take place the week of August 20th. Except for the August Major, the other three Majors will take place on Sundays and Mondays. For each of the Majors (except the last one), and The Tour Championship, the Sunday rounds will be a shotgun format and will begin around 1:00 p.m. For the Collingwood and Muskoka Majors, and The Tour Championship, a Sunday night BBQ, or banquet dinner, is included in the event fee. More details will follow, closer to the event date.
SPONSOR GIFT BAG
The first 400 players to register for the 2017 GTA AM Tour will, once again, receive a Sponsors' gift package. We are working with current and new Sponsors to add to this package.
WOMEN ON TOUR
The Tour will continue with the Women's Flight but, in the hopes of attracting more women, and as an outcome of the 2016 Tour Player Summit, we have made a slight change to the structure. Women will continue to play off a forward set of tees and will compete for a per event Gross and Net prize.
SENIORS' FLIGHT
The Tour will continue with a single Seniors' Flight. All players in this Flight must be 55 or over and will play off the B Flight tee decks immediately after the B Flight tee times. Players will compete for a per event Gross and Net prize.
RECREATIONAL FLIGHT
For 2017, The Tour will continue with the R Flight. Anyone can join this group of golfers who will be teeing off after the Women's Flight, at each of the 2017 Tour events. The R Flight has been created to provide recreational/casual golfers with an opportunity to play some of the best golf courses in Ontario for FUN! Golfers in the R Flight will not be required to have a Handicap Factor and can play from any set of tees they wish.
Golfers joining the R Flight will pay 50% of the then applicable Tour Registration fee. R Flight players will receive a Sponsor Gift bag, will pay the same event fee as the competitive players, will be provided with a golf cart and will, for the most part, be teeing off in foursomes. R Flight golfers will not be eligible for prizing, points and/or skins but will be eligible for Sponsor discounts and Host Club access offers.
PRIZING
As you know, Air Canada, TaylorMade and Mill Street Brewery provided The Tour with per event prizing in 2016. We are currently working to renew the existing prizing Sponsors and to procure new prizing sponsors. Many Tour players, sponsors and team members have kindly connected us with potential sponsors. If you know anyone who may be interested, from a corporate perspective, in working with this wonderful community of passionate, dedicated and engaged golfers, please let me know.
TOUR PATRON SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Last year was the fourth year for the Patron Sponsorship Opportunity. A number of players took advantage of the opportunity to play 20 Tour rounds of golf as a legitimate business expense, through this program.
In addition to 20 rounds of Tour golf, and a waiver of the Tour registration fee, Patron Sponsors will receive the following:
1) Their corporate logo on The Tour's website, along with a link to their company's website
2) An end of season "Patron's of The Tour" day of golf at Oviinbyrd Golf Club as a guest of Mark Young.
The price of the Patron Sponsorship is $4,250 (plus HST). There will be a maximum of 15 Patron Sponsor spots, available on a first booked basis. If you are interested in becoming a Patron Sponsor, please call me at the number below. Patron Sponsors will receive a Marketing Agreement and invoice for their Sponsorship of The Tour.
REFERRAL PROGRAM
If you know of anyone interested in signing up for the Tour, please have them visit the "Join Now" section of the website. Once again, this year, we will be providing Tour players who refer a new player (who plays at least two 2017 events) with a case of Mill Street beer for referring a friend. We will also be conducting draws for rounds of golf at Coppinwood, for those of you who refer friends and family members to The Tour. Please ensure your friends record you (on the Join Now page) as the person who referred them.
BATTLEFIELD PROMOTION
One of the outcomes of the 2016 Tour Player Summit (players and Tour Team met in November to find ways to improve The Tour experience) was to amend the Battlefield Promotion. For the 2017 season, players will be moved to a "better" Flight if they win TWO events (Each round of a Major will count as one round.) with a Differential better than their Flight range.
TOUR STAFFING
At this time, we are looking for two people to be a part of The Tour Team and assist with event day set up and pace of play coordination. If you know someone who would be interested in joining us for all 30 Tour event days, please have them contact me.
On behalf of the entire Tour Team, we wish you and yours ALL the Best for the Holiday Season and we look forward to hosting you ON TOUR in 2017!
In good health and Happy Holidays,
Mark
905-773-7333
P.S. Throughout the year The Tour will be utilizing Facebook and Twitter to communicate with you. When you have a moment, please click the links below to Friend us at our Facebook page and sign up to follow us on Twitter.
